French Art Deco
Decorative Wall Mirror
Black Lacquer and 12Kt White Gold Leafing
Circa 1920’s, France 
French Art Deco Decorative wall
mirror with black painted and white gold designs.
Hand carved with gesso and genuine 12 kt White gold, water gilded
decoration.
Stylized floral design with stepped, fluted sides and skyscraper
top. Original beveled mirror intact.
The glossy black frame sets off the white gold beautifully.
A wonderful mirror for over a
console table, buffet, vanity or for use in a powder room.
The genuine 12 carat white gold leaf
was painstakingly applied with the old world methods rarely used
today,
such as water gilding. The 12 carat white gold leaf has a soft
patina and warmer cast than the silver
or metal leaf finishes that are more common.
Water gilding is a more elaborate process requiring greater
preparation, but its elegance and
refinement of finish are unsurpassed. Water gilding is used mainly
for picture frames, furniture,
religious artifacts, sculpture, objects d'art and also for the
embellishment of stately buildings.
The process essentially consists of applying six to twelve coats of
gesso to the substrate to
produce a very fine smooth surface, followed by four to eight coats
of bole, a refined clay available in
various colors. The bole is polished to a fine finish (any flaws or
grit would ruin the appearance of the gilding),
coated with dilute size and allowed to dry. The surface is then
wetted with water and gold leaf is laid onto it immediately; as the
water soaks into the gesso it quickly draws the gold into close
contact with the surface.
When dry, any loose fragments of gold leaf are skewed off as in oil
gilding and the surface is given a
protective coat of ormolu size to enhance the color and uniformity
of the gilding. Ormolu size is a mixture
of weak size and lacquer colored with a little orange-red resin
called 'dragon's blood'. It is common
for different elements of a water-gilded piece to be given
contrasting finishes to enhance the design.
This effect is called 'bright and matt' gilding. The bright passages
are usually gilded twice but they are
not ormolu sized. Instead they are burnished with a burnishing tool,
a polished rounded stone agate
set in a wooden handle, to produce a mirror finish.
This mirror was restored employing
this period appropriate, old world tradition.
Overall Dimensions: 34 ½” wide at
bottom/ 33 5/8” wide at middle.
41 ¾” high at sides, 50” high at center.
Mirror alone: 44 1/8” high, 27 ¾” wide.
Condition: Mirror Frame is in
excellent restored (June 2009) condition.
The original beveled mirror is in very good original condition,
showing minor age.
Please see the images below that show the mirror facing the blue
skies, to see mirror condition and close ups.
Please note: As with all of our
mirrors, the original mirror itself is left intact when possible.
Of course they can be re-silvered or replaced if you prefer a new
mirror. You may have this done
by your local glass shop, or we have this done for you, for an
additional fee, by our glass shop.
FADM138: Price: $
4,200.
Additional
photos below:
Additional photos below show this mirror facing the blue skies, to
show the age on the original mirror:
